light lunch & dinner
Archie’s American Diner
Besides favorites like the sourdough cheeseburger and the garden burger with all the fixin’s, Archie’s offers a full menu of sandwiches and salads. Try the garlic fries and come back the next day for breakfast. 125 Ocean View Blvd. (near the Aquarium), Pacific Grove, 375-6939.
Bubba Gump Shrimp Co.
The menu at this friendly family-style restaurant boasts almost a dozen shrimp dishes. A great place for the kids; Mom and Dad will enjoy the oceanside view. 720 Cannery Row, Monterey, 373-1884.
Casa Munras Café and Bar
This pleasant and sunlit dining room is steps away from historic buildings in downtown Monterey, and it serves three quality meals a day. The variety of grilled steaks, local seafood, and filling sandwiches should make the whole family happy. 700 Munras Ave., Monterey, 375-2411.
Compagno’s Deli
Bennett Compagno delivers the goods daily to the endless stream of Defense Language Institute students and Monterey locals who come here to regenerate their spent fuel cells on fresh-made deli-style hot and cold sandwiches. The toughest ticket in town is a parking space during any of the eating rush hours. 2000 Prescott Ave., Monterey, 375-5987.
Crazy Horse Restaurant
Crazy Horse serves American favorites like a tempting rib-eye steak with seasonal vegetables and has a mind-boggling salad bar. Serves breakfast and lunch too. Inside Bay Park Hotel at 1425 Munras Ave., Monterey, 649-4771.
Deli Treasures
You’re planning a sunny afternoon tripping around Carmel Valley, so you need some provisions, of course -- and this is your place. They’ll even pack up a picnic for you. 315 Mid Valley Shopping Center on Carmel Valley Rd., Carmel Valley, 624-9140.
Goodies
Delicious New York-style sandwiches stuffed with fresh ingredients are what you’ll find at Goodies. Be sure to save room for one of the homemade desserts. 518 Lighthouse Ave., Pacific Grove, 655-3663.
Hula Hut
This Hawaiian-themed luncheonette features healthy panini, burgers, tacos and salads with a dash of aloha. Try the sweet potato fries. 173 Crossroads, Rio Road and Highway 1, Carmel, 624-8454.
Jersey’s Monterey
Jersey’s Philly cheese steak sandwiches, fish and chips, chili and burgers are appealing all by themselves, but add big-screen TVs to the mix and what you have is a great sports bar in the middle of Monterey’s favorite playground. 711 Cannery Row, Monterey, 655-4947.
Pizza My Heart
Pizza My Heart offers a wide variety of delicious and creative hand-tossed pizzas, including the Maui Wowie and the Surfer Joe’s Special. Eat in or call for delivery. 630 Del Monte Shopping Center, Monterey, 656-9400.
Santa Lucia Café
Here’s a European-style market just blocks from Oldtown Monterey that’s a favorite for German and Italian cuisine. It’s also the only place in town to get authentic Hungarian goulash. Now open for breakfast, lunch and dinner. 484 Washington St., Monterey, 333-1111.
Schooners
Some locals in the know peg this bistro, located inside the Monterey Plaza Hotel, as the best place in town to close a business deal; others say it’s a perfect spot for an after-work cocktail. Either way, the sandwiches and salads are as inspired as the waterfront setting. 400 Cannery Row, Monterey, 372-2628.
Steinbeck House
In 1900, the Steinbeck family moved into a Queen Anne Victorian in Salinas. Seventy-four years later, a nonprofit organization transformed this historic landmark into a restaurant to preserve author John Steinbeck’s boyhood home. With a delicious, simple lunch menu that changes weekly, the Steinbeck House makes history fun. 132 Central Ave., Oldtown Salinas, 424-2735.
